Artificial intelligence is fast becoming part of student learning. A recent report from the Higher Education Policy Institute explores how AI is beginning to change how universities think about teaching, assessment and academic skills. As digital tools become more integrated into academic life, the role of human connection in supporting both learning and student wellbeing becomes even more important.
Artificial intelligence is now part of everyday student life, and many students are using AI tools to plan essays, summarise reading, structure assignments, or get started when they feel stuck. The HEPI report AI and the Future of Universities, which explores how AI is shaping higher education, suggests these tools are already influencing how students approach their studies and prompting universities to rethink assessment, academic skills and the role AI should play in learning. It also highlights the need for students and staff to develop the skills and judgement needed to use AI critically and thoughtfully.
For some students, AI can be a helpful starting point and when used thoughtfully, it can offer structure and a quick way to explore ideas or ask questions. At the same time, AI can change our experience of learning, because it offers an immediate response and doesn’t judge, it can feel like a safe place to test ideas – especially for students who worry about getting things wrong.
But learning often means sitting with uncertainty, exploring ideas with others and gradually becoming more confident in our own thinking. This is sometimes described as the value of ‘desirable difficulties.’ Robert A. Bjork uses this term to describe those moments of challenge that help ideas to form and grow. They often happen in conversation with peers and staff, when students question, explain and test out ideas together.
There is also a key social aspect to consider. University is often a time when students are forming new friendships, developing independence, and learning how live and work alongside others. If more study happens individually through digital tools, there might be fewer shared conversations and collaborative moments. And this really matters because loneliness and disconnection are already all too common experiences for many students. Recent reporting shows how some students in university halls often spend long periods of time alone in their rooms, connected online, but with limited opportunities for everyday social interaction. And we know that research consistently tells us that feeling a sense of belonging is closely connected to student mental health, as well as engagement and academic outcomes.
Some students are also using AI tools for emotional support as well as academic help. Attachment theory, first developed by John Bowlby, suggest that humans feel safer and more grounded when someone responds to them consistently and in an attuned way. Research on AI companions tells us that people can experience them as supportive and non-judgemental and might use them to talk through their thoughts and feelings. For students who feel lonely or nervous about sharing with others, these digital companions can feel reassuring.
However, responding through a screen isn’t quite the same as being in conversation with another person. Human relationships can involve shared experiences and the small ways people respond to one another emotionally, through tone, empathy, encouragement and the sense of being understood. Researchers are beginning to ask how relying on AI for emotional support might influence the way we connect with other people over time. And while this doesn’t mean harm is inevitable, it suggests that digital support works best when it sits alongside, rather than in place of, relationships with other people.
Student wellbeing is influenced by many factors, including academic pressures, the learning environment, relationships with others and access to support. Research consistently shows that strong social relationships protect mental health. When we consider this within higher education it relates to a student’s sense of belonging and connection within their learning communities. The University Mental Health Charter highlights the importance of belonging, community and supportive learning environments when we think about what helps students to thrive.
Supporting student wellbeing therefore often includes helping students develop practical ways to look after their minds, alongside opportunities to share what helps and learn from one another’s experiences.
At Mindapples, our work with universities focuses on relational approaches to student wellbeing. Our mission is to make looking after our minds as natural as brushing our teeth, a normal part of everyday life. Through our Wellbeing Competency Framework, we deliver evidence-based training, practical resources and interactive sessions delivered in person or live online, equipping students and staff to understand their minds better, take care of their wellbeing and support one another. By promoting self-care, resilience and peer support, we aim to create healthier university communities where conversation, shared learning and connection are part of everyday student life.
As we approach University Mental Health Day, whose theme this year is Human Connection, it feels like a good moment to pause and ask a simple question: what helps you look after your mind? Talking about what helps and hearing what helps others is one small way we can build connection and make conversations about mental wellbeing feel more normal.
If you work in higher education and are thinking about how to support student wellbeing in a rapidly changing learning environment, you can find out more here or write to us universites@mindapples.org